Have you got valuable vinyl in your attic?

It's twenty years since the CD took over from the cassette tape, and forty since vinyl ruled - but that hasn't stopped most of us hanging on to our old records all the same.

But did you know that some of those old tunes in the attic could be worth serious money?

"Vinyl is so on trend right now and highly collectible, so it doesn't surprise me that some command seriously high prices," says Will Thomas, managing director at LoveAntiques.com.

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As with any collectible, the highest prices are associated with records that have previously been owned by a celebrity, or with those that were manufactured as a one off.

"I think it is quite amazing to see just what kind of obscure and quirky things people want," says Thomas. "It's clear the vinyls that are worth the most are the ones which have a special feature, or that didn't do as well when they were released. The less there are of something the more it seems to be worth."

Prices vary, of course, with the quality of packaging and the overall condition of the record itself - if it's only in poor or fair condition, it won't go up in value.

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When buying, says vinyl specialist and record shop owner Phil Barton, you should look for a good clean sheen on the vinyl and make sure that the edge of the sleeve hasn't been clipped - unscrupulous sellers will often cut a ragged edge clean with a sharp knife to make it look more presentable.

To keep your records in good condition, they should be stored upright in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight, as otherwise the covers will fade and the vinyl warp.

So before you head up to the attic to brush the dust off that old vinyl, which titles should you be looking out for?

"Prices change as do trends and what is ripe for inclusion today maybe unworthy in a few months' time," says Barton.

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But for now, here's a list compiled by Barton and LoveAntiques.com of the 20 most valuable vinyl records in the world.

1. 'White Album' by The Beatles: copy originally owned by Ringo Starr - £730,876
Ringo Starr sold his copy of the 'White Album', last year at auction for $910,000, which was the first ever to be created - the other Beatles members had the second, third and fourth pressings.

2. 'That'll Be The Day/In Spite Of All The Danger' by The Quarrymen - £100,000
The 1958 original is the only known copy of the pre-Beatles disc recorded at a local electrical shop by McCartney, Lennon and Harrison with drummer Colin Hanton and pianist John Duff Lowe.

3. 'Love Me Do' by The Beatles - £80,500
There is only one known pressing of the one-sided acetate, unedited version with count-in - hence the huge price tag.

4. 'Music For Supermarkets' by Jean Michel Jarre - £10,000 - £30,000
In 1983 Jarre made one copy of this album and then destroyed the master tapes.

5. 'Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)' by Frank Wilson - £25,000
Only two originals have ever surfaced on the Motown label offshoot Soul.

6. 'God Save The Queen' by the Sex Pistols - £12,000
Before the band was kicked off the A&M label about 300 of these were pressed, making this record very rare.

7. 'Would You Believe' by Billy Nicholls - £10,000
Only 100 copies of this 60s psych/folk/rock album, pressed in its original guise, were manufactured.

8. 'Please Please Me' by The Beatles - £7,500
It's important when buying Beatles albums to check the matrix numbers that are cut into the run-off groove, which allow you to work out which pressing you have. As Beatles albums were made by the million, it is often these numbers that make the difference between a £10 record and a £1,000 one.

9. 'Kind Hearted Woman Blues' by Robert Johnson - £7,000
Johnson's 78rpm records are extremely rare, especially those released on the Vocalion label.

10. 'Bohemian Rhapsody/I'm In Love With My Car' by Queen - £5,000
The EMI special edition of the single was also an invite to a company event, and came with matches, a pen, a ticket, a menu, an outer card sleeve, a scarf and an EMI goblet. A complete collection with all these items is extremely valuable.

11. 'Pride' by U2 - £5,000
Only five copies were made with coloured vinyl.

12. 'Midsummer Night's Scene/Sara Crazy Child' by John's Children - £4,000
This single was pressed on 7-inch vinyl, but for some reason was never released.

13. 'Latch On/Only A Daydream' by Ron Hargrave - £3,000
There are only six UK copies known to exist.

14. 'Led Zeppelin' - £3,000
Led Zeppelin's first vinyl album is very common. However the initial pressing had turquoise lettering of the band's name on the front cover, rather than orange - and is far more valuable.

15. 'Love Me Do/PS I Love You' by The Beatles - £3,000
250 demo copies of this 1962 7-inch single contained the misspelling 'McArtney'.

16. 'Space Oddity/Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud' by David Bowie - £3,000
Only a couple of copies of the 7-inch single with an unreleased picture sleeve are known to exist.

17. 'Tinkerbells Fairydust LP' by Tinkerbells Fairydust - £3,000
A slightly obscure British pop group, Tinkerbells Fairydust recorded this bubblegum psych album for Decca, but it was never released. It had extremely unusual packaging and a laminated front sleeve with a mono stereo 'peephole' on the back.

18. 'Erotica' by Madonna - £2,000
When Madonna released this album in 1992, it was quickly withdrawn from sale because the toe-sucking image on the cover coincided with similar stories involving Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. Consequently not many were sold so it's a rare find.

19. 'Love is Strange' by Wings - £1,500-£2,000
This was due to be released as a 7-inch, until Paul McCartney changed his mind at the last minute. However, a few copies leaked out onto the market and are now valuable records.

20. 'Tudor Lodge' by Tudors Lodges - £1,200
This is the band's one and only album, released on the legendary Vertigo label.